White smile

[Ahmad]

Hi

I have very yellow teeth and I have always dreamed of having a white smile. I drink a lot of tea and also smoke and I think this has made teeth become very discoloured and stained.

I have looked at the options that I have to get a white smile. I don't think that I am financially ready to have veneers just yet but though that teeth whitening could be a good way of making a start on getting whiter teeth.

I would like to know which type of whitening you would recommend and how do I get started with the whitening procedure? Would I need to give up smoking and drinking tea? It would be very difficult for me to do both, could I carry on with them and still have a white smile with tooth whitening?

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Dear Ahmad,

Thank you for your post.

The most effective and safest teeth whitening procedure is the home teeth whitening. This involves wearing custom made bleaching trays with bleaching gel for at least 2 hours every night for 2-4 weeks. If this is done well and for a sufficient duration you will get the white smile you have dreamed of getting.

To get started with home whitening you need to come to Pearl for a free whitening consultation. Assuming you have healthy teeth and gums we would take the moulds of your teeth and make custom fitting bleaching trays. Usually within a week following a fitting and instruction session you can start teeth whitening at home.

For the duration of the home teeth whitening you should reduce or stop smoking and reduce the consumption of highly coloured foods and drinks like tea and coffee. You can continue with either but the whitening effects may be delayed.